How Long Do Decorative Plum Trees Live?

The fruit of decorative plums is often left for birds and raccoons.

Everyone who plants a plum tree probably thinks of it as decorative, with its slight, graceful stature, lacy, spring finery and shiny fruits. The term "decorative," however, often refers to trees with limited fruit production that rely largely on beauty for their popularity. Cherry or purpleleaf plum (Prunus cerasifera) and wild plum (Prunus americana) are such trees. Cherry plum, for example, offers blossoms and deep-purple leaves but fruit that gardeners prefer not to eat. Enjoy these two kinds of plum trees while you can because neither has great longevity.

Longevity

Given all the variables that factor into a tree's life and health, it is impossible to calculate an exact lifespan for a decorative plum tree, but its lifespan is not very long. The average lifespan for cultivated plum trees is 10 to 15 years, according to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center's website. Plum trees that receive excellent post-planting care may live longer, but when decorative plum trees are 15 years old, it is time to think about taking cuttings from them to create new trees.

Culture

Increasing your decorative plum trees' lifespan requires using the best cultural practices to keep them vibrant and thriving. Both cherry plum and wild plum trees do best in well-drained soil and full sun exposure. Irrigate both kinds of trees in dry weather to keep their soil moist. It also helps to mulch with several inches of organic compost starting a few inches from each tree's trunk and continuing through the root area. Keeping weeds down also assists the trees in obtaining the water they require. Cherry plum and wild plum trees have long lists of potential diseases and pests. Cherry plum is vulnerable to canker, black knot, leaf spot, root rot, powdery mildew, fireblight and vericillium wilt; wild plum has fewer enemies, but they include plum curculio, brown rot, leaf spot, black knot and canker. Potential insect pests for both kinds of plums include scale, borers, aphids and tent caterpillars. Experts recommend dormant spraying as well as insecticides to control those problems.

Cherry Plum

The cherry plum got its wild start in western Asia, but the only remaining specimens are those in cultivation and those that escaped from cultivation and naturalized. Despite the tree's spiny trunk and somewhat shrubby habit, cherry plum cultivars are popular backyard specimens. The cultivars include Thundercloud (Prunus cerasifera "Thundercloud"), hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) plant hardiness zones 5 through 8, and Newport purple leaf plum (Prunus cerasifera "Newport"), hardy in USDA zones 4 through 9. All stay below 30 feet tall and bear frilly, fragrant flowers in early spring. Their small fruits are edible but quite bland and often consumed by animals that spread the fruits' seeds into the wild. Naturalization in the wild is a problem in the northeastern and far western United States.

Wild Plum

The wild plum is an American native that thrives in USDA zones 3 though 8. Like the cherry plum, it stays under 30 feet tall and decorates a yard with fragrant blossoms in spring. Its fruits are red, round and about 1 inch in diameter. Although the fruits' yellow pulp is used to make jams and jellies, it is not as good when fresh as other plum fruits that are available commercially. So wild plum fruits are often left for animals to eat.

About the Author

Living in France and Northern California, Teo Spengler is an attorney, novelist and writer and has published thousands of articles about travel, gardening, business and law. Spengler holds a Master of Arts in creative writing from San Francisco State University and a Juris Doctor from UC Berkeley. She is currently a candidate for a Master of Fine Arts in fiction.